“I watched you in the cameras,” he says without missing a beat.
“You... watched me on the CCTV?”
He nods. “You really need to upgrade to one with sound and higher definition, but I could still see you well enough. I find watching people is the best way to discover their personalities. And normally, I wouldn’t need to come back a second day, but I couldn’t stop watching you on the cameras. And when you left early yesterday... The twins told me I’d done something wrong, but I wasn’t sure what. I didn’t have a way to contact you, so I came back to try and fix it.”
Wow. He really doesn’t lie. And I find it oddly... refreshing.
“I’m sorry for upsetting you, Revea.”
It’s the first time he’s said my name, and my heart races.
“But that reaction, and this—” He points to the tablet. “—shows me how committed you are to this business. That you’re driven and independent. Smart and resourceful. The twins were right.”
Right about what? But I don’t get a chance to ask.
“And I’ve nearly fixed all these issues.”
“What?” I gasp, remembering the extensive list of notes. “How?”
“I’m very good at my job,” he says without an ounce of arrogance. “I’ve also booked an appointment for your scanner to be updated to a retina one tomorrow, around 8 AM. That’s the salon’s off day, right?”
My mouth parts, then I slowly nod. Now I understand this is just how Sylvan works. I don’t really know what to say.
“Thank you for... the kind words and all of your help, but… isn’t a scanner like that really expensive?”
He shrugs. “Expensive to some.”
I realise I need to be clearer. “Sylvan, I really appreciate what you’ve done for me, but I’m not sure I can afford it, especially not a retina scanner.”
He frowns. “You’re not paying for it.”
I squint at him, trying to figure out how to break this down. “But someone has to pay.”
“I am. Well, our company, Nexus, is.”
My eyes fly open. “Why? Why on earth would you spend hundreds—”
“Thousands,” he corrects, and I’m speechless for a moment.
“Sylvan, no.” His brows furrow deeply as I shake my head. “You’re not paying for this.”
“Why?”
“Because... because it’s my business, my responsibility, and I won’t be able to pay you back.”
“Ah, you want to make this a transaction? That will ease your worries. Yes?”
I scoff. “That’s the thing, I can’t afford to pay for it, remember?”
“Give me your phone.”
I stare at him, mouth wide open, then sigh when I realise he’s still waiting. I slip it out of my jogger pocket and hand it over.
He takes out his too, spends a few minutes tapping, then gives me mine back.
“What did you do?” I ask, a little worried he might have installed some type of system.
“I took your number,” he says, slipping his phone away with no further explanation.
